Meanwhile, the rumour mill was churning in overdrive on Wednesday over who would buy the team, with everyone from boxing greats Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather to millionaire musician Sean "Diddy" Combs on the list of potential suitors.

Billionaire media tycoon David Geffen told Forbes he "would very much like to buy the team", while die-hard Clippers fan and actor Frankie Muniz, best known for his role on Malcolm in the Middle, said on Facebook, perhaps in jest, that he would like to buy them.

Sterling's comments - made public by celebrity news website TMZ - sparked a firestorm within the league.

Sterling, who confirmed to the NBA that it was his voice on the recording, told his girlfriend: "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?"